I just acquired an '84 FB with a nasty reside of mouse in the heat/vent system. I am prepared to take the dash out, if that is what it takes, to get the mouse pxxx and stink out. Any suggestions on a smart approach? If I need to take the entire dash out to get at the vents, how would I go about doing that? I searched the forums for 'remove+dash' but didn't find anything pertaining to an FB...

 

Well, it seems that searching dash+removal is much more productive than searching remove+dash.
A subtle but important difference. The former returned nothing, and the latter returned everything.
Apparently I've been spoiled by Google search, which takes care of all that.
But....now I have the answer to my question.

 

i just bought an FC and gutted the interior. part of the restore was the heat/air boxes and i found the same mouse nastiness. i would recomment cleaning and redoing all the foam while your in there as its all likely rotted by now.

 

Honestly the best route is removing the dash and removing the ducting to clean and disinfect it all. The blower motor will likely need cleaned as well. Mice had eaten chunks out of the blower fan in my 80 and the blower box was covered in urine and feces. Took some time to get it cleaned out. Annoying because the car is always in my garage and under a cover.

The dash isn't terrible to remove. If you need advice on how to do it let me know and I'll give you a few pointers.

 

Thanks @mazdaverx713b and @Spider2k
I've found some threads on dash removal, but I can't say they created clear understanding. So yes, I'd be grateful for any tips on FB dash removal. Thanks in advance...

 

Hi, @mazdaverx713b I got the seats, console, and carpets out. I'm ready to pull the dash. Can you provide any pointers on how to find and remove the fasteners for the dash and the shifter surround?

 

The shift boot and panel just lift out of the dash. One quick pull and the panel with the boot comes up.

The hardest bolts to remove are the bolts under the defrost vents. Once the vents are out, you have to be very careful not to slip with an offset wrench or 1/4" ratchet and hit the glass. I've done it once on a GSL-SE. There is one hidden 8mm bolt attached to the dash from front to back. Its below the radio and behind the ashtray on the dash frame. The rest of the dash bolts are 10mm if I remember correctly. Let me know if there is anything else I can help with.

 

Thanks for that @mazdaverx713b . I understand there are also bolts on either side of the center stack, but I don't see any that are apparent. Are there detachable panels on the sides of the center stack that need to be removed?

Is the stickshift **** threaded on, as with north american cars? I tried to turn it clockwise, but it seems unwilling to rotate on the stick.

Does the stickshift lever need to be removed from the transmission? I see four bolts holding a retainer that surround the stickshift...

 

the shift **** is threaded onto the shaft, normal thread, unscrews counter clockwise. the piece below the **** that retains the boot also acts as a jam nut.

i did google search on removing the dash and found this old thread.
https://www.rx7club.com/1st-gen-arch...4-85-a-478528/

 

The bolts on the center stack can be accessed once the carpeted trim pieces are removed that block them. Two screws remove the side pieces.

The jam nut on the shifter must be "loosened" by turning it clockwise. You won't need to move it much. Just enough to take the pressure off of the shift ****. It helps to remove the shifter from the trans in order to remove the dash. Three 10mm bolts remove the shifter and then you will be able to slide the dash backwards.